The big news this week: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion. That’s a decent chunk of change and it’s got some Microsoft investors worried. So how will the Redmond giant puts its most expensive purchase ever to good use? Check out the above video for some likely scenarios.

Techland and our partner site Technologizer are teaming up to bring you live coverage of Google’s special event in San Francisco, starting at 12:30 pm Eastern. No need to refresh: Sit back and enjoy the show as Technologizer’s Harry McCracken and Techland’s Doug Aamoth bring you the latest news.

The emergency broadcast system got an upgrade today as a new text-alert system was unveiled at the World Trade Center site by the heads of the FCC and FEMA, along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The new system, called PLAN, will allow officials to send alerts to compatible phones in the event of a national or regional emergency. It will be …

Microsoft just bought Skype for $8.5 billion. Not to get too personal, but that’s many, many billions more than I make in a year. But unlike buying a human writing machine like yours truly at an affordable price, Microsoft is paying $8.5 billion for something called Skype. Here’s what it’s getting.

Google’s 2011 developer conference kicked off on Tuesday, May 10. Did you see the live blog? It’s O.K. if you didn’t. I’m not one of those How dare you not read everything I write! kind of writers. I just sort of fell into this whole blogging thing a few years back after my career in modern dance was cut short due to my lack of talent, …

Techland and our partner site Technologizer are teaming up to bring you live coverage of Google’s special event in San Francisco, starting at 12 pm Eastern. No need to refresh: Sit back and enjoy the show as Technologizer’s Harry McCracken and Techland’s Doug Aamoth bring you the latest news.

Business cards: can’t stand them. Can. Not. Stand. Them. If you want me to be able to get ahold of you, just give me your fax number, okay? Teletype works, too. In a pinch, I’ll hit you on your beeper—if I leave “911” after my callback number, call back quickly! It’s an emergency.

All joking aside, unexploded landmines pose serious, serious threats to post-war communities. In late 2010, it was reported at a UN Council meeting that 3,956 people died due to undetected explosives, without even taking into account the countless injuries and limbs lost in the aftermath. What’s more is they debilitate entire …

The New Yorker‘s iPad app is one of the nicest tablet versions of any print magazine: published every Monday at the same time as its paper-and-staples equivalent, it features additional pieces of writing, photography and video, poets reading their poems aloud, and bonus cartoons, among its electronic bells and whistles. (It even includes …

Hi there! I’m the latest “wants-to-be-friends” friendly surfing Skype, and if you add me now, I promise I won’t exploit a security vulnerability that lets me take super-secret command of your Mac, or even—on a whim—expunge every last byte you hold precious! Actually you don’t need to add me at all–this next message should …